Taniqua Smith is renowned for her marriage to former American linebacker DeMarcus Ware. However, they are not together anyone. With two kids together, both of them have moved on and have their respective families now.
While her first marital life had tragedies, she has started a new life and found her forever. Want to know more about the lady? Delve inside for a quick read.
Taniqua Smith Has Two Siblings
Smith was born on August 7, 1981, in Auburn, Alabama, to a police officer father. She was raised alongside her siblings, Jalisa and Shameka.
Similarly, she went to Auburn High School. Hardworking since an early age, Smith used to work at a deli during her high school days. She also joined the Air Force as a personnel. The little girl who grew up in Auburn would really be proud of her future self and progress.
DeMarcus Ware’s ex-wife Is A Jazzercise Instructor
Taniqua is quite the athlete herself. While she has never played sports professionally, she was into softball and basketball. She is also quite a fan of music and singing. Combining these experiences, Smith gave Jazzercise a shot.
For those who don’t know, Jazzercise is a dance party that requires no experience. One can let loose to the top music hits, get the heart rate going, and, before knowing it, burn calories.
After hearing about it, Smith joined a class, and she knew it was something she wanted to do just after the first class. A few weeks later, the studio owner, Adrienne Menichini, sent her a video of her, saying she should become an instructor.
With sheer determination and training, she passed her Jazzercise training and taught her first class in November 2019.
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Meanwhile, during the pandemic, Adrienne took another career path and asked Smith if she wanted to own the studio, an opportunity she grabbed. That is how she became the owner and instructor at Jazzercise Southlake. The company has been under her for years now, and she has made a name for herself.
However, Taniqua is not alone; her sisters also help her run the studio and manage social media, and the previous owner helps out, too.
Taniqua Smith Was Previously Married To DeMarcus Mare
As stated above, Smith and Mare were married for a long time. They were high school sweethearts. When the duo met, she used to work at a deli and sneaked sandwiches and cookies for him. She fell for DeMarcus’s dimples, and as she stated, “food was the way to his heart.”
Her commitment to him was so strong that she worked hard to become his Diamond Doll during his high school baseball days. Moreover, the effort was not one-sided. The NFL veteran wrote poetry for his former beloved and was quite open about his love for her.
Dating since the late 1990s, they finally took their relationship to the next step by exchanging vows at a courthouse in Alabama in 2005. It was not a fairytale wedding like we see of many athletes, but a low-key ceremony with just the two of them. The reception was not grand by any account, but for them, it was, as they dined at their favorite fast food restaurant.
Besides, they became parents to two wonderful children during their marital life. Unfortunately, things ended between them in 2012, and they parted ways. Both of them have moved on and are happily married – Smith with Shane Richards and Ware with Angela Daniel.
Smith Married Her Current Husband In 2017
Five years after her divorce, Taniqua married Shane on August 19, 2017, in Southlake, Texas, and the reception was held in the same place. Mr. and Mrs. Richards had everything, so they asked people to fund their dream honeymoon in their marriage registry.
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The two are quite lucky to have one another. Even after six years of marriage, Richards means the world to one another. Their social media profiles are full of pictures and heartfelt messages for each other.
Taniqua’s Current Beau Is A Real Estate Agent
Taniqua’s better half is a realtor with years of experience in the field. He graduated high school from Keller High School and earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University.
Following that, he began his career as a sales consultant at Novak Motors. Later, he joined Keller Williams Realty as a realtor. According to his Facebook, Richards is quite a talented man. Presently, he is involved with five different companies.
Firstly, he has been an Audi Brand Specialist at Audi Grapevine since October 2015, a real estate consultant/agent at Keller Williams Southlake Market Center since November 2, 2017, a division member at KW Sports + Entertainment since January 1, 2022, and at KW Luxury since January 1, 2023.
Likewise, Shane is the team lead at Next Move DFW. He has several happy clients with his experience and contacts in the industry.
The Lovebirds Raise Four Children
The beautiful lady had two children, Marley and DeMarcus Jr., from her marriage with DeMarcus. Her hubby has a child, Michah, from another relationship, and the pair welcomed one son, Noah James Richards, on December 17, 2019.
All of them live with the pair. Even the ones from their previous marriage live with them. However, they can live up to two weeks a month with their dad.
Taniqua Smith Lost Three Kids
To reach where she is now, Taniqua has endured a lot. She and her ex-husband had problems with pregnancy. Sadly, they lost three children from 2005 to 2008.
While 2005 was a grand year for the former lovers — they got married, and Ware was drafted into the NFL — it also marked the beginning of a fateful tragedy. Unfortunately, Smith had her first miscarriage in 2005.
Nevertheless, they gave it another shot. Little did they know, it would be one of the greatest heartbreaks of their lifetime. In the fifth month of their pregnancy, the former sweethearts learned it was a boy and named him Omar Ware. They were on cloud nine, preparing for the baby’s arrival.
However, in the fifth month of the pregnancy, they learned the baby had no kidneys and would not survive. In 2006, Omar came to the world as a stillborn and was cremated. He lives through them.
As having a family had always been her dream, the ex-couple tried again. This time, they consulted fertility specialists and doctors specializing in high-risk pregnancies. None of that helped, as she had another miscarriage in January 2007.
The Former Sweethearts Turned to Adoption
After three failed attempts, they turned to adoption. Taniqua and DeMarcus adopted a beautiful baby girl born on February 29, 2008, and named her Marley after DeMarcus’s favorite singer, Bob Marley. They decided to try again and welcomed their first son in November 2010.
Because of all this, her children are her world, and she loves them dearly. The family of six lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where Taniqua runs her successful Jazzercise studio.